


If I loved you less (I would be able to talk about it more)

by ophelia_hamlet



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Babysitter AU, Back with an AU nobody needs, But he's our Baby, F/M, Morgan is Pepper's adopted daughter, Oh god, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Short Chapters, Single mothers rock, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is Tony Carbonell, Yes you read that right, may parker is awesome, take my computer away from me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25151302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ophelia_hamlet/pseuds/ophelia_hamlet
Summary: Pepper Potts urgently needs a babysitter for her newly adopted daughter, Morgan. Enters Tony Carbonell, new caretaker of the building where she lives. One case of mistaken identity later, Tony finds himself changing nappies and singing AC/DC songs as lullabies while Pepper tries to get her business - and her life - back on track. Oh, and May Parker owns the building and totally ships it. Also, Peter Parker needs help with blowing up his Science Projects.What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 15
Kudos: 46





	1. Tony & Pepper

**Author's Note:**

> Someone should restrain me from starting another Iron Man AU. We all know what's been happening over the last 6 years with the other one. Unfortunately for you - and me - no one is there to stop me. And my Beta Reader is a first-rate enabler. Pretty sure this is somehow her fault. But I have no proof and the evidence against me is pretty damning. 
> 
> Also, tomorrow is my cake day and it was my Beta's - Laurel - two days ago. So I thought, it could be one way to celebrate both our birthdays - by posting the Babysitting AU nobody needs. 
> 
> So here I am again, with a weird idea that I've been toying with for a few months now. If you're looking for a Salt In Their Scars 2.0, this isn't it. First, the format of this fic is gonna be different. Short chapters of 500 to 750 words each, maybe less, maybe more, depending on the chapter. Second, the tone is less angsty, slightly more comedic (don't worry, you'll still get your angst). And third, the AU is... goddess above, I don't know what I was thinking.
> 
> Like my other fic, I'll update when I can. Hopefully, since the format is different, it'll mean faster updates. The first few chapters of this fic have already been written, so you'll get a new chapter every week at first. We'll see how it goes from there. That's it.
> 
> Enjoy!!
> 
> Love and xxx

He doesn’t set out to lie. It just… sort of happens.

“Did May Parker send you? Oh my god, thank you so much for coming on such late notice. I thought she said she wouldn’t know anyone available so late at night and I was losing my mind trying to find a solution.”

The woman in front of him is absolutely stunning. He thought he rang the bell to the building owner’s condo and is instead greeted by a gorgeous strawberry blonde in a blue dress that would make a saint sin. His only reaction is to nod at anything she says and doesn’t catch on that not everything she’s just uttered makes sense. Wasn’t he supposed to knock on Ms. Parker’s door?

She lets him inside the apartment and closes the door behind them.

“I originally asked May to do this and she thought she could help out but she completely forgot that tonight is her nephew’s science fair at his school and here I am, at the eleventh hour, trying to find a trustworthy babysitter for my kid and I -”

_Wait, who said anything about a babysitter?_ Tony suddenly catches on he’s maybe made a bigger mistake than just knocking on the wrong door.

He tries to open his mouth a few times to tell her she’s made a mistake but the woman is like a hurricane, talking a hundred miles an hour and picking up baby stuff off the floor while precariously balancing herself on heels that seem to defy every law of physics. Which he knows. Because he has a degree from MIT in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Physics. And has zero knowledge on child-rearing. They just don’t offer those courses at MIT. He notices that she’s stopped talking and is looking at him like she just asked a question. Uh. Maybe he should say something.

“I’m Tony. Carbonell.”

He extends a hand.

Pepper flushes. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m Pepper Potts. Nice to meet you, Tony.” She takes his hand and shakes it vigorously.

“I’m not sure if May told you what I do exactly…” “Of course, I should ask your name before I ask your hourly rate.” They say at the same time.

Tony laughs a little. “It’s fine. I’m used to people getting straight to it but maybe you should tell me what exactly you think I’m here for because I’m not sure we’re on the same page here. You see, I was just hired by Ms. Parker and -” 

She leads him through the flat. “And you’re just on time, so that’s great! I’m sorry, I don’t have much time so I need to get a move on. This day has not gone well so far and I really need this night to be perfect. And I can’t bring Morgan with me. Which is why I’m acting a little…”

“Stressed?”

“Yes!”

They stare at each other for a few seconds. He can’t help but start smiling as he looks at her. She’s really beautiful, he thinks. Pepper suddenly remembers she’s not finished showing him around the apartment and starts to point at doors again, telling him where they all lead.

He should really say something now but the longer he waits, the harder it gets to tell the truth. His inner voice (which strangely sounds like Rhodey) is also screaming at him that this is a Bad Idea but he knows he’s in too deep now. She clearly needs help and he can always come clean later, when she isn’t about to self-combust from work-related stress. And Ms. Parker did say that his list of tasks within the building was basically non-exhaustive.

He looks around as Pepper keeps walking and talking. It’s a very nice apartment, on the top floor of the building, with huge bay windows and walls painted in whites and blues. There are baby toys everywhere and he notices the kitchen is also a bit of a mess but it’s nowhere near the mess in his kitchen.

She finally stops in front of a door and she starts to whisper.

“This is Morgan’s room. I finally got her to sleep 20 minutes ago. She should be good for a few hours but if she wakes up, there’s formula in the kitchen. She only drank half a bottle tonight so be prepared. And the diapers are under the changing table with everything else. Other than that, she usually sleeps through the night.”

Tony nods and she opens the door. They quietly go in. Pepper points at the changing table and the cabinet below before getting to the little crib. There’s a night sky projector displaying an accurate map of the stars on the ceiling and Tony can’t help but quietly approve.

He finally gets to the crib and looks down on the small sleeping form.

“Tony, this is Morgan.”

She smiles at her daughter, and just like that, Tony’s heart got stolen by two women in one night.


	2. Tony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thanks so much to those who commented and/or left kudos. You guys are the best. Here's chapter 2. I'm a little late, sorry!
> 
> My beta is the lovely Laurel <3

Tony had had a life full of ups and downs up until now. His mother, Maria, had raised him as a single mother and they had moved around quite a bit during his childhood. She was a concert pianist and the life of a musician was always on the road, somewhere between the last concert and the next. To all accounts, she had been a very skilled musician and Tony had loved listening to her growing up. 

Tony was in his first year at MIT when he lost her in a car accident. He was 16 at the time and had no idea what to do next. And because of mounting debt and no living relatives to speak of, his options had been very, very limited. 

The US Air Force offered him something of a helping hand. Enroll with them for four years and they pay your MIT degree. As long as you agree to do anything they ask you to. At first, Tony hadn’t minded too much. Joining the army had been something to do after graduating and he liked getting his hands dirty in all types of engines - especially jet fighters. Plus, he’d met his best friend Rhodey who’d enlisted at the same as him, and they had been put in the same unit. 

However, the hierarchy, the strict rules, and protocols had been grating. He had been raised to be a free spirit and nothing the USAF did to him had really succeeded in erasing that part of him. But he had signed on for four years and did his time after graduating from MIT with his Master’s degree. 

The guys (and one deadly woman, Natasha) in his unit had nicknamed him “The Mechanic” to celebrate (and mock a little) his love of tinkering. It’d stuck with him his entire military career and when he finally bowed out of the USAF, they jokingly gave him modified dog tags “Tony ‘The Mechanic’ Carbonell”. 

To this day, he still wears them to remind himself that if he got through war zones unscathed, nothing can ever stop him.

Reality, sadly, is a fickle bitch. He remembers when his accountant had first told him the news, a few months ago: 

“This recession has hit us very hard and no banks are willing to extend you another loan, you need to sell your business if you want to keep your head out of the water.”

Tony had remained silent at the time, a little stunned but not really surprised.

“Selling your auto repair shop will cover most of your debts. And I’m sure you can get some extra money by selling some of the machines you used. Even for parts.”

Tony’s voice broke a little. “I personally modified those machines. I can’t just sell them for parts!” 

Mr. Jameson shook his head: “Tony, the repair shop won’t go for a lot of money. Not in this economy. You’d be lucky if you found someone willing to buy it. But that also means you’d probably still be 50k in debt, at the very least. And that’s before taxes.”

He continued:

“You need to be pragmatic. Sell everything that you can. I’ll see if I can arrange an auction for your shop.”

Two months later, a buyer has been found and the accountant is sliding the documents across the desk before handing Tony a pen. Tony takes it, and after a moment of hesitation, signs away what he’d been trying to make successful for five years. 

Mr. Jameson reviews the document and nods. 

“I’ll inform the buyer that you signed the documents. In the meantime, I suggest you look for a job.”

Tony chuckles mirthlessly: “Who’d hire a former vet with a failed business and a crushing debt?”

Mr. Jameson gives him a small smile.

“Maybe ask a friend?”


	3. May

May is what Peter teasingly calls “a bleeding heart”. 

May always wholeheartedly resented the term. “Helping people doesn’t make me a bleeding heart, Peter. It’s just common decency. And it’s good karma.”

May had become a successful artist after struggling financially for years and knew the true value of kindness: something money couldn’t buy and the value of which could never be undermined. So when she inherited several buildings after her aunt’s passing a few years back, she decided to try to do some good around her. 

“Always pay kindness forward, Peter. That’s what your grandmother used to say.”

She also doesn’t believe in coincidences. She believes in "signs from the universe". (“Peter, don’t think because I’m not looking at you that I don’t know when you are using air quotes. Also, have you finished your essay on US History? Peter?”)

So when the condo next to hers on the top floor of her building became available and a friend of hers called asking for a favor, May immediately agreed.

“But you don’t even know her!” her friend Aurelia said on the phone.

“I don’t need to. She’s your friend, so obviously she’s a great person. And the apartment next to mine just became available. It’s a sign! And you told me she needed help with her situation. I know becoming a legal guardian when you least expect it is not easy. Give me her number. I’ll call her directly.”

May spoke to Pepper for hours on the phone that day, telling her that of course, the apartment was hers if she wanted it, that she could even have it baby-proofed before Pepper moved in with Morgan. The discussion soon moved on to baby stuff and they finally hung up when May’s phone battery was about to die. Pepper visited the apartment the next day and they agreed on the rent. May could already tell they would become fast friends. 

But the real "sign from the universe" (“Peteeeeer”) that happened that week was when her building’s security manager, Happy, asked her if there was a job opening in one of her buildings. 

“I mean, maybe you need another security manager for one of those other buildings? Or you know someone who does?”

She was sitting on one of the couches in the lobby, looking through some security expenses she’d need to implement soon. Happy was sitting next to her, helping make sense of it all. She’s never really had a head for security-related technology.

“Well, maybe not a security manager. Everything seems to be going through cameras and alarms these days. The only reason I hired you for this building is because there’s over 30 floors and some of the tenants and owners have asked for a security manager after that attempted break-in three years ago. And they also asked for a caretaker. But I’m not having much luck with that one…” May looked up from the papers on her lap. “Why are asking about a job opening by the way? Do you want to leave?”

“Oh, no, no. Not at all! It’s my friend, Tony. He’s in a bit of tight spot at the moment and he was asking if I knew someone who was hiring. What about that caretaker job?”

May sighed. “Well, it depends. With the new security system that has to be installed, I’d need someone who’s proficient with electronics and who also doesn’t mind helping out when someone in the building needs repairs being done. So basically I need someone who’s probably overqualified for a job that’s not very rewarding. And the only thing I can throw in, apart from a decent New York salary is a tiny garden level apartment with almost no sunlight and a very low rent. Because the caretaker needs to live in the building, apparently. Not exactly the most attractive job prospect.” 

Happy thought about it for a moment. 

“Would you consider a former US Air Force mechanic with a degree in Engineering from MIT that needs a place to catch his breath after losing his business because of the recession?”

May tilted her head and smiled. She could already hear Peter’s air quotes.


	4. Tony and May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Wednesday !!!! 
> 
> As always, reviews are love <3

Tony’s call to Happy is a last-ditch effort to try to find a job before signing up with the US Air Force again. He doesn’t want to go back on a tour but it’s the only job that’ll take him back and provide him with food and shelter. Rhodey told him he’d put in a word for him with recruitment but not before advising him to explore all of his options.

They both know Tony’s place isn’t in the military anymore, that it probably never was. But the only other thing Rhodey can do for him is provide him a couch to crash on. And Tony can’t live on his friend’s generosity forever. So he calls everyone he knows, from former classmates at MIT to former military buds who retired. He’ll go anywhere, do anything, as long as the pay is decent and he can afford rent and food.

Everyone he calls is sympathetic to his situation:

“Job market’s tough these days, Tony.”

“I wish I could help but I can barely make ends meet.”

“I’m sorry, Tony. We don’t have any openings at my company right now. I’ll put your resume on top of the pile, though.”

Calling Happy feels weird. He’s his closest friend after Rhodey and asking him for a favor while already living off Rhodey’s help seems… wrong. Happy knew his business wasn’t going well and that he was thinking of closing shop but he hasn’t told him yet that the papers have been signed. The conversation goes as awkwardly as Tony expects it to go.

“Tony, I’m so sorry bud, I didn’t know things were so dire. I wish I could help you but I’m not sure I know anyone who’s hiring right now.”

“It’s fine, Happy. I’ve got options.” It’s a bit of a lie but he doesn’t want to burden him with his problems any longer.

“Look, I’m meeting with the owner of the building where I work. I’ll ask her. You never know, she might need another security manager for her other buildings.”

Tony’s relieved Happy can’t see his defeated face right now.

“Yeah, you never know. Thanks, Happy. You’re a good friend. Let’s have a beer sometimes, yeah?”

“Sure thing, Tony.”

They hang up and Tony’s certain he’s not going to hear back from Happy or anyone else today. Or ever.

“I’ll give it a couple of days. If I don’t hear back, I’ll ask Rhodey to make a call to recruitment.” He tells himself.

A couple of hours later, Tony’s watching a Knicks game on mute when his phone rings. It’s an unknown caller.

“I hope you’re not selling anything ‘cause I’m not buying.” Tony answers.

He hears a woman laughing. “God, no. The last time I tried to sell something on the phone, it was car insurance and I was awful at it. Probably because I didn’t own a car at the time. But also because those plans were really not worth the money they asked for it.”

Tony frowns. “I’m sorry?”

“Oh! Sorry! I’m May Parker. I work with your friend Mr. Hogan. Well, really, he works for me but that’s not important. He told me you were looking for a job? And possibly a place to stay? How would you like to come by my building so we can talk face to face? I’ll text you the address. Would tomorrow at 10 o’clock be okay?”


	5. Tony and May

May Parker is… an interesting woman. She’s definitely not what Tony has in mind when he hears “New York City building owner”. She looks like she’s the same age as him but more… vibrant? But then again, anyone who’s not him and hasn’t been run down by life probably looks more vibrant. She’s wearing large yellow pants and a black blouse and goes about the place talking and walking very fast. Tony suddenly thinks of bees in a beehive and the description is kind of apt.

“So I’ve been told that you were in the army?”

“The Air Force, actually. Different corps.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

“Not at all. It’s a common mistake, really. And I was a mechanic. Electric systems, cars, planes, I’ve seen it all.”

May’s face lights up. “Oh, that’s wonderful! You see, we’re about to have new security system installed in the building - well, when I get around to choosing one. Who knew there were so many options available? Anyway, I need someone who can be here 24/7 in case there’s an emergency with those, but mostly, I need a caretaker. Someone to help out with people’s problems in the building. A bit like a concierge, but not as fancy, I’m afraid. Sorry, I’m not selling that job very well, am I?”

Tony shakes his head. “No need to apologize, you’re doing great.”

May makes a face. “Really? Oh, well. The bottom line is, I can pay you a decent salary and there’s an apartment available with very reasonable rent if you want it. Everything’s negotiable, of course.”

May shows him the apartment and it’s smaller than the one he used to live in above the shop, but it’s decent. Not much natural light, but beggars can’t be choosers, he thinks. And this opportunity – a job and an apartment – is way more than he thought he’d be able to find on such short notice.

They get back to the lobby after seeing the apartment and May hands him an envelope.

“These are all the details you’ll need to make your decision. Salary, rent, job perks, health insurance, it’s all in there. Call me back when you know if you’ll take the job.”

Tony feels like this is too easy.

“Not to look the gift horse in the mouth, but aren’t you supposed to interview other people? Or I don’t know, ask me more questions? You’re just offering me a job after less than 20 minutes of going around the building?”

May smiles. “Well, let’s just say you came highly recommended. And honestly, I’ve been looking for someone to take the job for a while and you’re the first person that fits all the requirements that I feel good about. I feel like maybe this job’s been waiting for you. So, yes. It’s yours if you want it.”

Tony extends his hand and May shakes it.

“Thank you Ms. Parker. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Please, it’s May.”

Tony smiles.

“Thank you, May.”


End file.
